Profi ling-machine



(No Model.) 3 Shets--Sheet 1.

J. H. WESSON. PROFILING MACHINE.

Patent (1 ar. 8

m: NORRIS PKTERS c0. PHD'IO-LITNQ. \VASMINETON. D. c.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. H. WESSON. PROPILING MACHINE.

N 00 Patented Mar. 8,1898.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

J. H. WESSON.

PROFILING MACHINE.

N 00 Patented Mar. 8.,1898.

did;

[rape/20 7,

w .Zd/J/QZ 744935075 74 W5 UNTTnn STATES PATENT I FFICE.

J OSEPII H. VESSON, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

' PROFILING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,391, dated March 8, 1898.

Application filed June 3, 1897. Serial No. 639,340. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH H. WVEssON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Springfield, in the county of l-Iampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Profiling- Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to profiling-machines for cutting or milling metallic or other articles to irregular forms in which the cuttingtool is caused to follow lines of movement by means of a fixed pattern, the object being to provide an improved machine of this class in respect to driving mechanism for the cuttercarrying spindles thereof, means for maintaining said spindles positively in lines vertical to the work-holding bed, and consequently to the articles held thereon to be profiled, and in respect to the shop-room required for such a machine; and the invention consists in the peculiar construction and arrangement of parts of the machine, all as hereinafter fully described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure l is a perspective View of a profiling-machine and driving mechanism therefor embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of said machine, partly in section, and of the parts of the spindledriving mechanism. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the machine, the upper portions of the toolspindles being shown in section. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of one of the tool-spindles and of the boxes in which said spindles run, the parts of the machine in which said boxes are held being indicated in dotted lines.

The construction of the within-described machine and the driving mechanism thereof, as below set forth, provides for discarding wholly the heretofore-used spindle-driving drum supported on pillar-boxes on one end of the bed of the machine, and therefore the bed A thereof is made so much shorter that only about one-half as much floor-room is required for the herein-described machine as for those heretofore used. The said bed of former machines has necessarily been heretofore made quite long, so that the belts between said drum and the toolcarrying spindles may be made long enough to permit of the movement of said spindles in operating the cutters thereon transversely of the said bed and in a line parallel with said drum to avoid developing a great strain on said belt, owing to its frequent tangential position relative to the said drum.

The spindle-driving mechanism which I have substituted for that heretofore employed and just described is fully illustrated in Fig. 1, in which a indicates a driving-shaft, and b a counter-shaft driven from shaft a by a belt 0. cl d are two vertical shafts supported in a hanger e and driven by belts from said shaft 5, as shown. Said hanger e and also said driving-shaft a and the counter-shaft l2 and their above-referred-to connected parts are, as shown, all suspended overhead to the ceiling of the room in which the profiling-machine is located. Gonnections, as below clescribed, are made between said overhead shafts cl cl and tool-carrying spindles 14: of the profiling-machine, whereby said spindles are rotated in a manner which wholly obviates any lateral strain upon said spindles and whereby the sliding frame F is quite free forsuch movements,and the tool-spindle-carrying frames 7 and the spindles thereon are quite free for vertical movements, for the purpose described. Said connections between the vertical shafts d d and spindles 14 14 consist for each spindle of a compound extensible and retractible driving-shaft comprising the shaft part J, having on one end a cylindrical socket 'n and having its opposite end connected to one of said vertical shafts (Z by a universal 0r ball-and-socket joint 0, and a second shaft part 3, entering freely said cylindrical socket n of the said shaft part J and having a splinegroove 25 therein, in which a suitable pin or key '0 in said cylindrical socket 01 engages, and a second universal or ball-and-socket joint to, connecting said shaft part .9 with the upper end of the tool-carrying spindle 14:. The above described mechanism provides means for driving said tool-carrying spindles 14, which are rigidly held against lateral movement,whereby the spindle-driving force is applied torsionally to the spindles from a point beyond the upper end thereof, or substantially in a circle, of which the axis of the spindle is the center, thereby permitting the spindle to move freely horizontally and in the. line of its axis, thus obviating all lateral strain upon the spindle and a consequentinjurious wear of the spindle-boxes, whereby the requisite relative parallelism of the cutter 22 and the guide-stud 24 would be destroyed and hence imperfect profiling work would be done. The above described improved spindle-driving mechanism also offers further advantages in that the sliding frame F and the frames 7 can be moved laterally far enough to permit of removing the cutters from the ends of the spindles 14, near the bearing-boxes 15, for sharpening or changing without any obstruction from the driving mechanism, whereas when said spindles are driven by drum and belts, as described, the latter have to be removed or the machine started to permit said frame to be moved sufficiently for the purpose set forth. The said machine-bed A is supported on two legs, as shown, the rear one, B, thereof being rigidly bolted to said bed and the front leg 0 being pivotally attached to the front end of the bed at 2, Figs. 1, 2, and 3. The upper end of said front leg 0 is made of arch form,or highest at its center, as shown, whereby the bearing of the bed thereon is always upon the portion thereof which is centrally between the two lower extremities of the leg, which rest upon the floor. This arrangement permits said leg 0 to have a rocking motion (more or less) under the end of the bed which rests thereon, while the feet or lower extremities thereof adjust themselves to any inequalities of the said floor. Thus by the use of said self-adjusting leg 0 any twisting or warping effect upon the bed of the machine arising from inequalities of the floor on which the latter stands, either normal or accidental, is obviated.

It has heretofore been a common occurrence in profiling-machines standing upon legs rigidly secured to the bed thereof that the settling of the floor on which the machine rested has caused such warping of the bed as to render the spindles, cutters, and work-holding devices inoperative, and thus necessitate a readjustment thereof. Said self-adj ustable leg obviates all misadjustment of said parts.

The head D of the machine is supported on standards E E and is rigidly fixed to and above the bed A'in the position usual in such machines. The sliding frame F is supported for such movement transversely over the said bed in the usual way, and such movement is given thereto by means of the usual crank 3, shaft 4, and gears 5, one of the latter engaging a rack 6, which is fixed on the lower edge of said frame F. On said frame F one or more (two usually) tool-spindle-carrying frames 7 are hung for vertically-sliding movements, which are imparted thereto by levers 8 8 in the usual way, whereby the cutting-tool on each spindle carried in said last-named frames is given a vertical movement.

The parts indicated by 9 1O 12 are the usual spindle and frame adjusting devices.

The said tool-carryingspindles 14 are each supported to rotate in two bearings, each comprising a box and means for securing it to said frame 7, one at the upper and one at the lower end of said frame 7. The construction of said bearings, which for the upper and lower ends of said frames are substantially the same, is illustrated in Figs. 2 and 4, and each bearing comprises the metallic longitudinally-split box 15, of externally-conical form, fitted to an opening in the upper and lower ends of each of said frames 7, of like form. Each of said boxes 15 is externally screw-threaded on one end, as shown, to receive thereon a nut 16, adapted to screw against said head and draw said box into said opening, therebycontracting the same, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, and a set or lock nut 17 to screw against said nut 16 to retain the latter in any adjusted position. The spindle-passage through said box 15 is of cylindrical form and adapted to the diameter of that part of the spindle 14 which it incloses. When said box 15 is first fitted to receive its spindle, the slot 18 between the split portions of the box is made of sufficient width to provide for the required adjustment from time to time of the box against the inclosed spindle as the wear of the parts may require. As illustrated in Fig. 4, the spindle 14 has a shoulder 19 at its lower end for abutment against the lower end of said box 15. Said spindle has a screw-thread thereon just above the upper end of said box, and a nut 20 is screwed thereon and against the upper end of said box, and a set or lock nut 21 is screwed against said nut 20 to prevent said nut 20 from becoming unscrewed and loosened by the action of said spindle. Thus by means of said split conical-shaped boxes, the conicalshaped box-receiving parts of the said frame 7, and the nuts 16 and 17 on said box the spindle 14 is adapted to be so held and subject to such adjustment in working position that practically it will be immovable to any perceptible degree laterally through the action of the cutting-tool 22 held therein, which action is almost invariably such as to crowd the box-inclosed lower end of the spindle with great force laterally against the one side or other of the interior of the box.

The upper side of the bed A of the machine is provided, as shown, with the usual parallel upwardly-proj ectin g ways, on which the usual work and pattern carrying table 23 moves longitudinally under the said frame F, frames 7 7, and tools 22, and guiding-studs 24. Said table 23 is operated for said longitudinal movement .by the usual crank and shaft 25, having a gear connection with a rack on the under side of said table. The usual workholding fixture and pattern-plate are applied to said table, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

said guiding-studs 24, one on each frame 7, are adapted, as usual, to be brought into engagement with said pattern plate, whereby the cutters on spindles 14 are given the proper profiling movement for cutting the piece operated upon to conform to said pattern.

The

The

upper side of the bed A has oil-receiving depressions 26 therein for catching oil, which, applied to the cuttii'ig-tools in profiling, runs off from said table 23, and oil thus received in said depressions is conveyed to a suitable receptacle under the machine through conduits 27. (See Fig. 3.)

Having thus described my invention, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a profiling-machine, a fixed head supported above, and extending transversely of the bed thereof, the sliding frame supported on said fixed head for free horizontal movements, one or more tool-spindle frames supported for free vertical movements on said horizontallysliding frame, a tool-spindle supported for rotary movements on each of said last-named frames, and means for moving the same horizontally and vertically at the Wlll of the operator, combined With independent driving mechanism for each of said tool-spilt dles, comprising a vertical counter-shaft supported on a suitable hanger above each of said spindles, and an extensible and retractible above the same, combined with a nut applied to said spindle for engagement With the upper end of said box whereby said spindle is held against endivise movement, and one or more nuts screwing onto said box, and against said frame, whereby said boXis caused to clasp the spindle therein, substantially as described.

JOSEPH H. YVESSON.

Witnesses:

II. A. CHAPIN, K. I. OLnMoNs. 

